Next week, one of the most respected security research conferences in the world, the USENIX Security Symposium, will be held in Washington D.C. Thanks to a gag order from a British court, however, it won't go quite as planned. The order forbids the authors of a paper describing fundamental flaws in car lock systems from discussing key aspects of the work, based on nothing more than speculation about a third party's alleged “misuse of confidential information.”

Bradley Manning was convicted (PDF) on 19 counts today, including charges under the Espionage Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act for leaking approximately 700,000 government documents to WikiLeaks. While it was a relief that he was not convicted of the worst charge “aiding the enemy,” the verdict remains deeply troubling and could potentially result in a sentence of life in prison. The sentencing phase starts tomorrow, and a fuller legal opinion from the judge should also come soon.

We will likely have a deeper analysis of the verdict later, but two things stand out as particularly relevant to—and especially frightening for—folks who love the Internet and use digital tools.

For the past three years, EFF has organized the D(EFF)CONtest to highlight the work of supporters who advocate for EFF’s work and inspire others to become supporters of digital civil liberties too. We’re always looking for ways to make an impact with this contest, and so this year, we’re trying something a little different.